The present invention is directed to support devices for work equipment and, more particularly, to a support frame for a food handling equipment, such as a meat slicer or the like.
Various devices for supporting equipment for working on work pieces are known in the art. Examples of conventional devices are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,756,932; 1,899,867; 2,707,659; 2,833,598; 2,934,384; 3,096,583; 4,601,226; and 4,764,049.
The prior art devices are, however, bulky, complicated, unwieldy, and do not offer the flexibility needed in the present day environment where it is frequently necessary to remove the work equipment in order to clean the area around the work station, or to substitute one equipment for another. In addition, conventional supports are designed and constructed with the objective that the work equipment is fixedly mounted thereby making it extremely inconvenient to easily remove the work equipment for cleaning purposes, or plainly to substitute one equipment for another. The prior art supports traditionally have also been made of numerous parts thereby making assembly and disassembly rather difficult.
In the retail trade, such as in grocery stores, delicatessens, and bakeries, in particular, there is a need for a support frame for a food handling equipment, such as a meat slicer or the like, which is simple to operate, easy to construct, versatile for accommodating different size equipment, and which can be readily disassembled for cleaning. The ability to clean a device is particularly important in the retail trade of food in view of strict governmental regulations.